to call an ambulance...

[DijonFijon]

Don't really think I need to call an ambulance but am never sure what to believe when it comes to babies.

I have a 4 week old beautiful boy. Was reading a leaflet given to me by midwife re signs to never ignore.

It says 'call 999 if more than 60 breaths per minute in child under 1 years old'

Timed my boy out of curiosity. He's asleep and has a breathing rate of 79 per minute.

He seems absolutely fine other than a bit colicky. I wouldn't have even thought about it if I hadn't read the leaflet.

I'm waiting for a callback from the health visitor who didn't seem concerned - so I don't actually need to call 999?

[Conseulabananahammock]

Tracheal tug, or intercostal retration alongside high resp rate would be cause for worry. Slightly high resp rate in a colicky baby, possibly not.
I speak from experience with my youngest, many many hospital visits and nights of propping my eyes open to keep an eye on his breathing .

[ThatOneHurt]

I've worked with HV as well.

The HV I worked with never carried around stethoscopes....

[WithAllIntenseAndPurposes]

You don't have to listen with a stethoscope to get a feel of whether a baby is in respiratory distress it's very plain to see visually

[QueenofmyPrinces]

The OP said that the HV had said that the chest/lung sounds were clear/normal. Something like that anyway, I can’t go back and look through the post.

Such comments could only be made if the chest had been listened to via a stethoscope.

[QueenofmyPrinces]

OP said: He's absolutely fine. Normal heart rate, lungs sound normal....

A heart rate in a baby that young would most likely only be recorded via the use of a stethoscope too as palpating pulses on 4 week old babies is very, very difficult.

[vinergartom]

OP I’d be concerned about a respiratory rate of 65 at rest, let alone 80, in a 4 week old. I’d want to rule out possible causes. Persistent tachypnoea (high resp rate) can just be transient and have no underlying cause but it’s something that should be checked.

The HV was obviously reassured and if he’s feeding well and normally alert no need to be rushing him to A&E (unless he has increased work of breathing-tugging in around his chest wall, below his ribs or trachea or if he has a fever over 38) but please get him seen by a GP.

[WrongSideOfHistory]

The other thing I thought was that at the GPs they can measure oxygen saturation which is important in breathing issues etc.

I'd definitely take a trip to see my GP over this.

[Eatmycheese]

I have three children and no the many visits from health visitors I don't think I've ever seen a stethoscope lurking in their kit?

I would also echo the comment re oxygen saturation @WrongSideOfHistory
Our youngest had no temp, was breathing a little fast. I wasn't happy and asked the GP to check him over his oxygen levels were low and he was admitted to hospital promptly. All was well but they can go downhill very quickly at such a young age

[QueenofmyPrinces]

Babies are great at compensating and can seem to appear well even when they aren’t because physiologically they are great at masking deteriorations. However, they go downhill very quickly because they can only compensate for so long and then the body just crashes because it’s too tired to keep it up anymore.

Babies with high breathing rates are usually breathing that fast to compensate for the fact that breathing ‘normally’ is not getting enough oxygen in to them.

A settled heart rate of 65 is too high in my opinion.

I find it very worrisome that a HV has said that a respiratory rate of 65-80 in a month old baby is ok as the baby is otherwise well. I say this regardless of the fact that she’s using a stethoscope to make her assessment (that she shouldn’t be using).

I hope your baby is ok OP but please get a proper medical assessment done at the GP surgery.

[IWantMyHatBack]

I would seek further medical help.

This happened to me. The MW, HV, GP x 2 and a paed consultant all dismissed it as normal.

He actually stopped breathing later that night, luckily I woke up and he started as I picked him up.

If this persists I think it warrants further investigation. Over 60 resps per min is classed as respiratory distress. There's a reason you're supposed to call an ambulance if it goes over that.

[LondonLassInTheCountry]

Im sorry but i would not trust the word of one HV

[LoniceraJaponica]

Does your GP offer telephone consultations? Sometimes I'm not sure if something warrants an appointment, so I ring and explain to the receptionist what I am after and she gets a GP to call me back. It works really well at our practice.